


Building Bridges (One Plank at a Time)

by thesalmondean



Series: Interludes [3]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Gap Filler, M/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 06:31:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7607443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesalmondean/pseuds/thesalmondean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robert tells Chas about Andy and the shooting; a missing scene from Monday July 25 2016.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Building Bridges (One Plank at a Time)

**Author's Note:**

> As noted in the summary, this is an in-episode missing scene/gap filler in which Chas and Robert discuss the shooting, and who knew what. In this scene I make very vague allusions to further conversation between Robert and Aaron that did not happen onscreen, just in case you read and wonder.

Robert reached down with his free hand to grasp the handle of the roller case when suddenly Chas’s foot was there, kicking the bags beyond Robert’s reach.

“That’s helpful,” Robert said as he straightened, barely containing his exasperation.

“Tell you what would be, you spilling what the matter is with you and him,” Chas tilted her head and started at Robert.

“There’s nothing,” Robert said, slightly more emphatically than he intended and he could see right away that Chas wasn’t buying it.

“Robert don’t be boring,” Chas replied.

“There’s nothing. Really,” Robert said after a pause, knowing how upset Aaron would be if he didn’t get to be the one to tell his mum about the shooting. And truthfully, Robert didn’t really want to talk about it with her.

“I may have been gone for a few weeks, but I can still read my son and something is up,” Chas arched a brow at Robert and crossed her arms.

Robert stared back at her, considering his options; he could continue to deny anything was the matter and risk an argument in the middle of the street with Chas; or he could tell her what was going on and risk upsetting Aaron.  Staring at her now, determination written on her face, he knew which option would win out.

“Aaron punched Andy yesterday,” Robert blurted.

“He what?” Chas dropped her arms to her sides, her face betraying her fear.

“Don’t worry. No one’s reported it,” Robert said.

“But why’d he hit him?” Chas shook her head, her expression matching her questioning tone.

Robert glanced around – there were more people out and about in the village than Robert felt comfortable with. Nodding his head toward the pub, he bent down and grasped Chas’s duffel, slinging it over his shoulder before popping the handle on the roller suitcase, juggling his coffee all the while. He led her silently round to the back entrance – leaving Chas’s bags at the bottom of the stairs before moving through to the larger backroom.

“Why did Aaron punch Andy?” Chas asked once Robert had closed both doors and moved to stand by the white sofa.

“I just want you to know, I had good reasons – legitimate reasons – for not telling Aaron, or anyone, about this-,” Robert began but like Aaron the day before, Chas cut him off, anxious.

“Yeah, yeah, just spill,” she said, sitting at the small table by the kitchen.

“Right. Well it started off with Aaron’s concern for you. He thought my being here might cause you a relapse, since the shooting was what triggered all this in the first place. He thought seeing me each day might bother you, since no one was ever caught,” Robert said, watching as Chas’s expression shifted from worried to….something else he couldn’t quite define.

“Okay? What’s this to do with Andy?” Chas asked, her voice even and calm.

“I told him I knew who shot me,” Robert stated, while Chas just nodded.

“And Andy was behind it,” she said then, much to Robert’s great surprise.

“How did-,” Robert shook his head ever so slightly before moving to sit on the small sofa, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and gripping his coffee with both hands.

“So, you know?”

“Yeah. I do,” she answered and Robert fell speechless, stunned into silence. This was the last thing he expected from this conversation.

“When? I mean, how-?” Robert struggled to find the words to understand how Chas of all people, came to know the truth of the situation.

“After New Year – when Debbie left. She told Cain, and he told me.”

Robert’s mind replayed those moments with Ross, Andy, and Debbie on New Year’s before he briefly wondered if Cain knew the origin of Andy’s anger; he decided it best not to inquire.

“When did you know?” Chas asked, and Robert knew immediately what she was hinting – Aaron and his stint in prison.

“Not right away. But as soon as I found out the truth I did everything in my power to get Aaron cleared of the charges,” Robert explained, just as he’d done with Aaron the day before. 

Chas nodded, seeming to accept Robert’s word.

“How was he about it?” she asked.

“Not good? I mean, he punched Andy,” Robert laughed sadly before his mind drifted to what Aaron had told him, how he’d considered topping himself in prison; Robert determined that was something best kept from Chas.

“He’s going to be angry at me for telling you,” Robert added, “he wanted to be the one. He’s been worried for ya.”

“No,” Chas shook her head, “No. He won’t be angry. Don’t you worry.”

Robert nodded, sipping his coffee. They sat together in the quiet of the backroom, the soft, dull sounds of voices talking and glassware clinking coming from the other side of the door. Robert wondered what Chas was thinking about - if she was replaying that night in her mind like Robert had tried to do so many times. He really had tried, especially right after he’d woken up, to remember the events of that night but most of it was a giant blank space. He very vaguely recalled speaking with Chas outside the pub, but most of the details were lost to him even still.

“Will you be okay, now I’m living here?” Robert finally asked, ready and willing to pack up his stuff and go back to Vic’s if need be; if Chas needed him to go; as much as he would hate to leave Aaron.

“To be honest, Robert, you officially living here now is not much different than how it was before. You were here most every night and every morning as is,” Chas offered a tiny smile.

“Right,” Robert gave a light chuckle and returned the smile, feeling awkward. He wanted nothing more than for he and Chas to get on – no more awkwardness – but he also knew it was likely never going to happen. He might have changed in the last year, but that didn’t alter the fact he'd been partly responsible for Katie’s death. And Robert could never blame Chas for holding back with him because of that. Still, it didn’t stop him from wishing things could be different; that things could be easier. For Aaron’s sake if nothing else.

“Seeing Aaron so light-hearted, and happy, and content, means more than anything. And as much as I might hate to admit it, most of that is down to you,” Chas shrugged.

Robert felt his heart warm at Chas’s words – a sort of direct yet slightly backhanded compliment. Robert hoped she would continue to see how much he loved Aaron, and how much he only wanted Aaron to be happy, and light-hearted; and how much he wanted to be the reason Aaron was those things.

“I’ll talk to him,” Chas offered, “he should hear it from me. That I knew.”

Robert nodded, following Chas with his eyes as she stood from the table and began to cross the room towards the back entrance. As she passed him, Robert dropped his eyes to his hands and so was caught by surprise when he felt her hand light upon his shoulder. He started slightly, before titling his head to look up at her. She was standing next to the sofa, staring down at him, her hand gently squeezing his shoulder.

“You've proven yourself, and I believe you now. Thank you for loving my son,” she said, and though the words sounded slightly stiff and awkward, Robert could see the sincerity in her expression.

Not trusting his own voice to speak, a well of emotion threatening to overflow within him, Robert gave her a quick smile and nod in response before looking back down at his hands. He felt her squeeze his shoulder once more before she broke contact, then the door opened and closed behind him.

Letting out a long breath Robert felt a smile spread across his face – maybe there was hope for them yet.


End file.
